Head North
by chocolate rules333
Summary: Katie, Travis, and Nico get sent on a quest to save Connor after he gets himself captured by monsters.  Will they make it in time?  Will Travis and Katie admit they like eachother?  Will Nico be able to survive a whole week with them?
1. Katie's Dream

**This a fanfic I am unsure about. I don't pretend to be a good writer but I can promise that this will at least have better grammar and less OCCness than my last PJO fic. Or at least I hope so. This is tratie, they are my recent obsession. This story also lines up with The Lost Hero. So yeah.**

Katie Gardener found herself in a strange place. The air was hazy and unfamiliar. It felt almost like she wasn't really there but at the same time she felt completely present. She took in her surroundings. She seemed to be on the top of some building. The stars were hard to see in the sky because of what appeared to be city lights. As far as Katie could tell, she was alone. A car horn beeped in the distance and then everything fell totally silent.

Katie began to panic. She attempted to move but her limbs didn't respond. She attempted to speak but she had no voice. She was just there, frozen in place. But why was she there? It made no sense. However, being a demigod rarely made sense. She tried to calm herself down. There was a reason she was there and she would have to figure it out. It was days like these that she wished her father had never fallen for the goddess of agriculture.

However, she didn't have too long to feel sorry for herself. A dracaena was approaching, sliding along. She was followed by two storm spirits. They were laughing and dragging along something. As they drew nearer Katie realized that it was a person, a person that seemed very familiar. Her heart plummeted in fear as she realized the seriousness of the situation. Connor Stoll was dangling between the two storm spirits, looking only half conscious.

Katie wanted to draw her sword or at least summon some nasty weeds to help Connor but she remained frozen in place. She was there only to observe, not to act.

"Here will do," said the dracaena. Her voice was so high and shrill that it made Katie internally cringe.

"You got it, boss," the left storm spirit said. They dropped Connor on the ground with thump. He groaned.

"Oh, boss, the mistress is gonna be so happy with us!" the other storm spirit chimed.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, you worthless spirit," the dracaena sneered. "If I wouldn't have been there to save your two miserable hides he would have gotten away. You should be thanking me."

"Yes, Lady Campe," they replied obediently. She smiled viciously at the sound of her name.

"Well, at least we have succeeded. What do we have here?" she prodded. She approached Connor and her snake feet examined him, hissing.

Katie was in peril. She wanted so badly to do something, to help somehow. She may have pretended to hate the Stolls back at camp but in reality they were friends, or at least extremely close rivals. Besides, she'd hardly wish this upon her worst enemy.

Campe smiled. "A son of Hermesss…," she hissed. "How wonderful."

"Now give us information, kid, before we run you through with this sword of yours," the second storm spirit threatened. He twirled Conner's Celestial Bronze sword around in his finger tips, looking like he was trying not to laugh.

The dracaena steeped in front of him. "Now, now, Kevin, patience, patience…" she whispered. Then she turned to Conner. "Now, child, there will be no need to harm you if you… cooperate." The malicious smile on her face said otherwise.

"Can't we just kill him?" asked the other storm spirit, in irritation.

"Phineas, shut up or I will throw you back to Tartarus!" Campe shouted. The storm spirit, Phineas, sighed and stepped back.

"Now, child, tell us what the Olympians are planning. How do they plan to defeat our most powerful, glorious mistress? I have heard of a war ship. Is there truth in this?"

At first Katie wasn't sure if Conner would be able to respond. There was a nasty slash running up one side of his chest and a cut above his eye that was still bleeding. He seemed unable to move. Only his eyes showed signs that he was alive. They were glaring at Campe with an intense hatred. "I won't tell you anything! I'm a son of Hermes, not some noobish coward," he told her adding his legendary smirk. Despite these brave words his voice was very weak. There was no way he'd be able to get away.

Campe shrieked. "Fool! Do as I say."

"You're not my mother," Connor jeered, rolling his eyes.

"How dare you speak to our lady like that!" Kevin shouted. He lunged at the son of Hermes.

"Stop!" screamed Campe. "We did not spend all this time kidnapping a demigod only for you to kill him. I do not think he will cooperate…. But he may still be of use." The snakes that were her feet hissed in agreement.

Then, to Katie's surprise, Campe turned to her. "You have one week. After seven days I'll allow these storm spirits to do what they wish with this pitiful son of Hermes. One week, demigod, one week."

Katie watched in horror as the dracaena snapped her finger and Connor's body went completely limp. Campe began to laugh, cold, humorless laughter as the vision disappeared.

"Connor!" Katie screamed, falling out of her bed. She was relieved to hear that she had her voice back.

"K-Katie, you okay?" asked her roommate, Jessica, through a yawn.

Katie didn't answer, she honestly wasn't sure. All she knew was that she had to get to camp, and fast. She had already tied her light brown hair back in a messy ponytail and thrown on a worn pair of jeans and her favorite t-shirt. She began tossing anything important into her bag. In her pocket she had her sword, which disguised itself as a gardening spade. Charles Beckendorf, son of Hephaestus, had made it for her when she was thirteen.

"Katie, its five a.m., it was just a nightmare. Go back to bed," Jessica grumbled. "You need to rest, finals are next week."

The daughter of Demeter sighed. It was true, finals were next week and she needed to study, badly. She had spent all year studying at the University of Virginia and it would really suck to throw away all her good grades. But she couldn't just leave Connor. This was life or death. Nothing, not even her future, was more important. She couldn't attempt to explain any of this to her roommate. Jessica was a great friend but she was also a mortal and Katie knew she'd never truly be able to understand.

"Look, Jess, I've got to go, now. It's a family emergency."

"A family emergency you found out about in your sleep?" Jessica asked, skeptically.

"Look, I know it doesn't make much sense but I have to go right now. Cover for me, please. I'll try to be back for finals."

"Are you sure this can't wait until summer break, Katie?"

Taking a deep, shaky breath she nodded. "Yeah, I'm positive." _Connor will be dead by then._

Jessica looked at her friend, concerned, for a moment. "Okay… I'll make up some excuse. But Katie, be careful, you're really freaking me out."

"I'll try my best, Jess," she answered. With that she through the door of their dorm open and set off for Camp Halfblood.

**Well that was the end of chapter one. A little more angsty than I was going for but I guess that had to happen. I know this seems kind of Connor/Katie but give it time, this will be Tratie all the way. I love Connor though. I feel bad for making him the damsel in distress. Oh well, he can be a hero some other time. Next chapter will be about our favorite child of Hades. :) Review, please. Tell me grammatical errors and I will fix them. Thanks!**


	2. Hermes' Request

**Thanks for reviewing. This chapter will be really short but also about Nico. I love him!**

Nico di Angelo was wandering. He loved to wander. It helped him think things through. And with Percy Jackson apparently brainwashed in California with a bunch of weird Roman demigods Nico had a lot to think about.

Sometimes he'd just shadow travel to a dark, remote spot. He'd bend the shadows to cover his frame and walk about in damp, cool, solitude. Even the warm sun of early June hardly reached Nico in his refuge of darkness. He wasn't entirely sure where he was but it might have been somewhere in the forests of Maryland. Here, in his lonely sanctuary, he could think.

That was good because there was so much that was bothering Nico. Not only had one of his closest friends disappeared but Olympus was on lock-down and the gods had gone silent. His fellow demigods, in their desperation to fix the problem, had decided to build a giant (awesome) war ship and were planning to drive it to the Roman Camp to get Percy. If they were going peacefully, Nico was pretty sure driving in an epic war ship would be a bad idea but who was he to burst their bubble?

He kicked a pebble on the ground and watched it trace its way through the dirt. Nico liked being alone as much as he liked wandering. He loved his friends but with all the stress camp brought these days it felt good to just get away.

So, as you may guess, he wasn't really expecting anyone to be walking around in the forest; especially a god.

"How's it going, son of Hades?"

Nico jumped half a mile and raised his Stygian Iron sword above his head in defense only to see none other than the messenger of the gods standing in front of him. This couldn't be good.

Hermes looked tired and rather stressed. His hair was considerably messier than usual and he was wearing what appeared to be pajamas. He gave off the aura of someone who had been doing nothing for a long period of time. George and Martha, the two snakes of his caduceus, were with him as always.

"Did we have to ask this one for help? He smells like death," George complained.

Hermes sighed. Nico contemplated what was going on. A god wouldn't just come to see him for no good reason. Something was definitely wrong. Either something had been stolen or "Is someone going to die?"Nico spoke aloud. Some might have said that jokingly but the thirteen year old was completely serious. He watched Hermes' expression contort into a grave mask.

"Well, someone's blunt," Martha observed.

"Demigod instincts," Nico grumbled in reply.

Hermes ignored them. "It definitely doesn't look good. I was going to ask how you're doing and all but if you want me to I'll cut right to the chase," Hermes paused and groaned. He looked considerably older than Nico had ever seen him. "Yeah, my son, he's definitely in trouble. I need someone to go help him and seeing as you're the only major hero of the Titan War that isn't already occupied…"

"What happened?" Nico asked. He couldn't see that he would be getting out of this one and knowing what he'd be up against would be nice.

"Oh, well," Hermes was about to answer but then jumped and looked at the sky. "Shoot! My father is already suspicious of illegal activity. There isn't much time."

"Stupid Zeus…" Martha grumbled. A lightning bolt cracked overhead. Hermes looked down disapprovingly at her.

"Look, sorry, I've got to scram already. I can't really risk getting in anymore trouble. Just head north, you'll have help."

Nico sighed, all he needed was a life threatening quest.

"Don't fail me, Nico di Angelo, son of Hades." Hermes said in a booming, powerful voice. Then everything went black.

When Nico awoke he was lying face first right where he had been previously standing. There was no evidence that Hermes had been there at all, the forest was just as quiet as it had been when Nico arrived. He really wanted to go on with his wandering and pretend that Hermes appearing had just been a funny little dream. But he knew that was impossible. Demigods never had normal dreams like that. Whether Hermes had really been there or simply given him a vision didn't matter at all. No demigod could ignore a direct order from a god like that.

Nico grumbled too himself and inwardly cursed Hermes. Couldn't anyone just leave him alone? One he had managed to pull himself together and accept his fate Nico got up and shadow traveled away.

**Okay, short chapter starring the slightly depressed Nico. Poor him. Just wait until he figures out who he has to go questing with. Review if you want. I'm sorry this chapter is short but that's just how it had to be. Thanks for reviewing if you did. Next chapter will be lots longer and finally feature Travis. Also I have a sort of request... not that anyone has to do it. See, I recently read TLO. I fell in love with Leo and think that him and Piper would make an adorable couple, even though I know the chance of that happening is like 1 in 100 because Piper and Jason are will end up together. But still, I set out to write a Leo/Piper fic because they are virtually nonexistant and failed miserably. I just couldn't do them justice. So if anyone can will you consider writing a Leo/Piper fic for me? thanks for reading my rant!**


	3. Leaving Camp

Travis Stoll was starting to feel worried. And that was really weird because worrying was one of the things he never did. During the battle of Manhattan against an evil Titan army Travis hardly worried. He knew it would be fine; after all, Percy had their backs. Keeping his cool was something he'd always been able to do easily. Now though, he had a strange feeling in his gut that something was seriously wrong.

Yesterday morning everything had seemed normal enough. All the campers went to work, helping to build the warship; all except Connor and Travis. The two pranksters were planning their latest stunt that involved three hundred gallons of rotting milk. It was going to be epic! They were finishing the final plans when the lunch bell rang. Travis jumped up to go straight there, he loved food. But Connor hadn't moved a muscle.

"Connor, come on, if you don't hurry up we'll have to starve."

"I'll catch up with you in a few minutes."

But Connor never turned up for lunch, nor did he turn up for archery, dinner or even capture the flag. He wouldn't miss capture the flag for the world! Travis cursed himself for not questioning his brother's strange response. Connor never, ever turned down food

"Travis, where's Connor?" Chris had asked him last night. Travis had shrugged nonchalantly in response to his half-brother.

"How should I know?"

"You and Connor go everywhere and do everything together. Shouldn't you know where he is?"

Travis had rolled his eyes. "You shouldn't worry so much, Chris." But in reality Chris's words struck a nerve.

So next morning after breakfast Travis finally went to see Chiron. When he figured out where Connor went he was going to kill him! They'd lost in capture the flag because the attack plan was one member short. If his brother would have had his back those stupid Apollo kids would have been no problem. And Connor couldn't just go disappearing. It was a stupid thing to do and no one at camp needed another thing to worry about.

Travis approached the Big House and let himself in. Without Mr. D it felt kind of lonely. He'd never really been a fan of the god of wine but now that he was gone Travis actually kind of missed him. It hardly felt like camp anymore. Mr. D had left, Percy was off at some Roman camp, Katie had ditched him to go to college in Virginia (not like he cared), and now Connor had mysteriously vanished. It just wasn't his year.

Chiron was sitting in his wheel chair, talking to Annabeth Chase. A map was spread at between them and Annabeth was rapidly speaking while the centaur nodded occasionally. They were so absorbed in whatever they were doing that they didn't notice Travis enter.

"Uh… hey," he greeted, feeling a little awkward. Annabeth looked up at him with her highly appraising gray eyes. Her face was practically emotionless, which Travis found kind of weird. Then again, she'd shown few emotions lately, other than her obsession to build the ship. She hadn't taken Percy's disappearance well, to put it lightly.

"Travis… what do you want?" she asked, suspiciously. She'd been a little irritated with the Stolls lately. She seemed to think that Travis and Connor weren't taking the current crisis seriously enough. The way they saw it, they needed to be the ones to cheer everyone else up.

"Don't worry Annabeth, it's not a prank today," he replied coolly, adding a smirk.

"Travis… is something wrong?" Chiron asked, cutting in before Annabeth could respond. He sounded concerned.

Travis opened his mouth and shut it. Was it that obvious that he was worried? Now that he was here telling Chiron about Connor disappearing seemed stupid. It would just be another thing to worry about. Connor was probably hiding somewhere, waiting to pull a prank on him and catch him off guard. He was being stupid. "Well… never mind," Travis answered with a shrug. He turned to leave.

"No, Travis, wait." The son of Hermes sighed and turned back to Chiron. "Just tell me why you came here."

It wasn't ever a good idea to lie to Chiron so Travis just elected to tell him the truth. "Connor's missing."

"Are you sure?"

"I've checked all the places he usually goes."

"Is this a prank?"

"No! Seriously, I can't find him anywhere."

"Are you lying?" Annabeth asked, with an eyebrow raised.

"No! I'm serious. He was just gone yesterday after lunch and that's never happened before. He doesn't usually hide from me… well besides when we played hide and seek when we were little but…" Travis shook his head, trying not to let his ADHD get the best of him. "I'm really not lying."

Chiron looked like he was deep in thought. "This might not be good," he admitted.

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked.

"Rachel stopped by last week. She told me she had a vision of a kidnapped halfblood."

Annabeth opened and closed her mouth. "Then what do we do?"

Chiron sighed. "I'm afraid there isn't much we can do. There is already so much to worry about and we have no idea where Connor could have gone. He could quite possibly be hiding here somewhere. This wouldn't be the first time."

"The Ares cabin wanted to hang our heads on their wall!" Travis defended. "And besides, I was with him then."

Annabeth frowned. "We'll call a meeting, Travis, and talk it over tonight." He sighed and nodded. Stupid, stupid, Conner.

"I have to go to archery class," Chiron stated. "I'm afraid I've already missed two this week." He looked at the son of Hermes with concerned eyes. "Are you going to be okay, Travis?"

He cracked a fake smile. "Pfft… me? Yeah, I'm fine. I never get any time without Connor. I'm gonna party it up and have some fun on my own for once."

Chiron frowned but stepped out of his wheelchair and trotted off.

Travis walked with Annabeth back towards the cabins. He kept the fake expression plastered on his face but didn't look at the daughter of Athena beside him.

"I know how you feel," Annabeth nearly whispered.

Travis chanced a glance at her and saw, to his surprise, that she had tears forming in the corners of her eyes. He averted his gaze again, not really knowing how to answer.

"Yeah, well, Connor and I don't really have the kind of relationship you and Percy do, if you know what I mean."

Annabeth scowled at him. "You can never just embrace a tender moment, can you?"

"Nope. And besides, I'm sure when you finally find Percy you'll have one of those lame moments right out of a cheesy chick flick where you jump into his arms and he spins you around, you both admit your undying love to one another, run off, get married, have three kids, yadda, yadda, yadda."

Annabeth blinked at him, still scowling. "What the hell goes through your mind, Stoll? _I_ don't even know what to say to that…" She sounded slightly amused and Travis was happy he could lift her spirits, if only a little. But then, once again, her expression became distant. "He won't remember me, anyway."

"No, he'll see your face and all the memories will come back. If this movie isn't rated PG than you'll probably even get a hot make-out scene."

Annabeth shot Travis a look and he shut up. She was about to say something when they heard a muffled thump behind them.

They both quickly turned around to see Nico Di Angelo standing there with a grim expression on his face.

Annabeth gave him a quizzical look. "Hey, Nico, we weren't expecting you until Wednesday."

"Plans change."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow.. "How so?"

Nico tilted his head and answered. "You know, everyday run-ins with immortals. Have either of you heard anything about a child of Hermes in danger?"

"Why, have you?" Travis cut in. He was pretty sure he knew who Nico was referring to.

"Your dad appeared to me about five minutes ago, telling me to save his son," Nico grumbled.

Annabeth was watching the thirteen year old son of Hades with wide eyes now. "I'll get Chiron," she said hastily, not even waiting for further explanation.

Nico watched her go and turned to Travis. "Something's happened to one of your brothers?"

Travis grimaced at him. "Yeah, Connor's gone."

Nico gave Travis a strange look. It might have been his best attempt at sympathy.

"Travis!" Aforementioned son of Hermes flinched. He hadn't heard that voice since the previous summer. "Travis!" The voice repeated. It sounded urgent, even panicked.

"Hey, Katie," Travis greeted, trying to sound calm. However, his voice was an octave too high. Katie Gardner stood before him. She had dark circles under her eyes as if she hadn't slept in a long time. Her chocolate colored hair was tied back in a messy ponytail and she wasn't wearing any makeup. Her green eyes that usually glowed with warmth were dim.

"Your brother," she began, "Do you know where he is?"

Travis and Nico simultaneously shook their heads. She went very pale and took a sharp intake of breath. "Oh. Crap," she mumbled.

"I take it you do?" Travis asked.

She nodded. "Sort of… and it's probably not good news."

"Great," Nico grumbled.

:)

Nico, Travis, and Katie were standing in the Big House with Chiron. Katie had just finished telling them about her dream and Nico was finishing his explanation of his vision of Hermes.

"Well then, I guess it's settled." Chiron said after Nico had finished.

"What's settled?" Katie asked.

"Nico will have to go on a quest to find Connor," Chiron explained. "You cannot ignore a request like that from Lord Hermes himself, especially when he appeared to you under such risk."

"But where are we supposed to even start looking?" Travis asked. "I mean, all we know is that Connor is on the roof of some place in a city that's probably north. That doesn't help us much."

"What do you mean by 'us'?" Nico asked.

"Well, obviously Katie and I are going with you." No one said anything in response or looked at him.

"Travis, it may be best if you stayed here," Chiron began. "Nico has the right to choose his companions and…"

"Look, Chiron, Connor is my brother. I'm not staying behind just to wait," Travis stated clearly with a defiant expression.

"We need your help here," Chiron began but Travis cut him off before he could continue.

"Connor and I have hardly helped this whole time. I need to go find him. I'm going, even if you try and stop me."

There was more silence. "I-I think Travis is right. He has the right to come."

"Katie?" Travis asked, giving her a quizzical look but she continued as if he hadn't spoken.

"Connor is his brother. He should be allowed to go. And I have this feeling that I'm supposed go too. I wouldn't have been given that vision if it wasn't supposed to be me, right?"

Chiron nodded in agreement. "I suppose you may be right, Katie." He took a deep breath and looked over the three halfbloods. "You should leave soon. You have limited time."

Nico sighed. "I guess we don't really have a choice. Travis, when we find your brother I'm going to kill him for getting himself captured."

"Me too," Travis mumbled.

Katie rolled her eyes. "Let's leave in two hours. We can drive my car."

"Where are we going to go?"

"I don't know. We'll work that out as we go along."

Chiron nodded in agreement. "Unfortunately contacting Rachel might be difficult. She is at school and is busy studying for exams. I'm sure if I really tried I could reach her."

"We'll get by," Katie decided after a moment. "We should just lay low with this. Everyone's already freaked out enough."

"Meet back here in two hours?" Travis asked. They all nodded in agreement and ran off to pack.

Katie went back to the Demeter cabin. She had missed it a lot while at school. As she walked in she absorbed the smell of summer and fresh strawberries. She had expected her cabin to be deserted but found she was wrong when she was tackle hugged by her closest half-sister, Miranda Gardiner.

"Katie, I heard you were back but I didn't believe it. Don't you have final exams next week?" she asked.

Katie sighed. "Well, stuff comes up."

"Like what?"

"Like quests and kidnapped sons of Hermes."

Miranda raised an eyebrow. "Explain."

So Katie told her sister everything, as best she could.

"I thought we already destroyed that dracaena during that battle a few years back."

"Miranda, you know nothing stays in Tartarus very long these days."

Her sister nodded sadly. "Are you seriously going?"

"I don't think I have a choice."

"But with Travis Stoll?"

"Yeah…"

Miranda was laughing now. "You know, you didn't seem all that upset that he kissed you last year."

Katie's face flushed. "Miranda, this is hardly the time." Still, she couldn't stop her memories from zooming back to that moment.

_The battle of Manhattan was about to begin. The forty half bloods and thirty hunters were about to set off to single handedly hold the inner-city. _

_Percy and Annabeth had already run off in one direction. Everyone else was making their final preparations and battle plans. Katie Gardner was rallying her siblings, preparing to lead them to Brooklyn-Battery Bridge and hopefully not to their deaths. A few feet off the Stolls were saying a quick goodbye._

"_Well, it's been nice knowing you, Travis, hope you don't die." Connor told his brother with a smirk._

"_Same to you," Travis answered with a grin. He turned to the rest of his siblings. "But if you do go down at least be sure to kick monster butt first!" They all screamed in agreement. "Now, just in case I don't survive this there was something I swore I'd do before I die." He had a mischievous glint in his eyes._

"_Do it," Connor urged, as he smirked._

_Travis grinned, ran towards the Demeter kids, scooped Katie into his arms and kissed her full on the lips. Her eyes widened in shock and her siblings watched in stunned silence while the Hermes kids all wolf-whistled and cheered. After a few seconds Travis set Katie back on the ground, winked, and rejoined his cabin mates._

"_Oh yeah, Man!" Connor shouted as he high-fived Travis. With that all the Hermes kids sprinted off towards their respective posts, screaming and laughing in excitement, leaving a very confused Demeter cabin gaping at them._

Miranda was stilling laughing. "You can't even deny you like him. Your eyes glaze over in that dreamy way when someone even mentions him."

Katie rolled her eyes. "You know that's not true. He caught me totally off guard last year and I couldn't go lecture him, we had a war to fight."

Miranda smirked. "Whatever you say, Katie."

"You're worse than the Aphrodite cabin!"

"Do you want me to tell them about that incident?"

Katie sighed, if the children of Aphrodite found out about that she'd never hear the end of it. "Just help me pack," she grumbled.

It was four o'clock in the afternoon when the trio finally set out in Katie's car. They had packed the essentials; food, ambrosia, nectar, money, a changes of clothes or two, and their weapons but they still felt pretty unprepared. This may have been due to the fact that they still didn't have a plan.

"So," Katie began. She was driving while Travis rode shotgun and Nico sulked in the back seat. "Where are we going?"

None of them answered. Katie groaned. She had been driving towards New York out of habit but in reality visiting there would not be useful. "Guys, we need some kind of lead."

"The only thing we know is we have to go somewhere that's north," Nico grumbled.

"Okay, north," Katie agreed. "That's not at all vague." She tried to go through all the positives. Connor wasn't dead yet… hopefully and they had her car. Yes, that was good. They had transportation. Too bad it wouldn't last very much longer.

**Chapter three is done. Its longer than the first two chapter combined, I think. Thanks to those who reviewed. If you find grammatical errors or problems, tell me nicely. I'll fix them. Review please, because they make me so happy.**


	4. The Springtime Goddess Lends a Hand

**Okay, I am finally done with this chapter. Hopefully it turned out well.**

About two hours later the trio was driving north through Pennsylvania. Travis had taken to counting all the blue cars they passed in his boredom. So far he had gotten to forty. His eyes were peeled when suddenly their car jerked and swerved towards incoming traffic. He shot up in panic and turned his attention to Katie who was slumped forward on the steering wheel.

"Katie!" he shouted. "What the Hades are you doing?" He grabbed the wheel and steered them back into their lane.

Katie blinked and sputtered. "What happened?" she asked, suddenly wide awake. She pushed Travis away from her. "Get off me, Stoll; I am perfectly capable of driving."

"No you're not, you nearly got us killed. Pull over and let me drive."

"There is no way in Hades I'll let you do that. I remember when you crashed that golf kart two years ago."

"That was Connor's fault! You just drove us into oncoming traffic. We'd all be safer if you let me drive." He made a grab for the steering wheel.

"Um, guys," Nico said from the back, attempting to get their attention. They ignored him.

Katie pushed Travis away again and glared at him. "I'm just a bit tired. We'll stop for coffee at the next town."

Travis lunged for the wheel again. "We won't make it to the next town at this rate."

"Guys, you do realize we are swerving between lanes, right?" Nico asked. Neither of them paid him any attention.

"Shut up, Travis," Katie shrieked, elbowing the son of Hermes in the gut.

"Just let me drive!"

"No!"

A car horn blared and Travis and Katie both returned their attention to the road, only to see they were heading straight for a semi. Katie screamed and Travis seemed frozen in place. Nico momentarily thought of how ironic it would be if, after so many near death experiences with monsters, they were killed by something as normal as a car crash. Luckily, they didn't have to wait and see. He came to his senses just in time, leapt forward, and managed to pull the car out of the way moments before they became demigod pancakes.

He drove the car onto the shoulder and by some miracle Katie had enough sense to hit the brakes.

They all sat in momentarily stunned silence.

"Great going, Gardner," Travis mumbled.

That was not the right thing to say. Katie's face turned bright red. "If you wouldn't have been so immature and just let me drive, we would have been fine. If Nico weren't here we'd both be dead."

"If I weren't here you'd be dead," Travis grumbled, averting his eyes.

Katie nearly ripped his head off. "Is it my fault if I didn't get any sleep last night?"

"Just let me drive!"

"Katie, just let Travis drive," Nico agreed, stepping in before matters got worse. He hoped she wouldn't get mad at him too.

"But, Nico…."

"Travis has his license and you need to sleep. You won't be much use in a battle if you're so exhausted and it wouldn't be good for any of us if we died in a car accident because you fell asleep again. Besides, we're wasting valuable time arguing about this."

Katie pursed her lips. "Fine… I guess. You have a point, Nico. But, Travis, you have to swear on the River Styx you won't take your eyes off the road. And anything if happens to my car…" She left that to the imagination.

Travis shrugged. "Okay, I swear on the River Styx that I'll be careful. Happy?" Katie shrugged. "I don't see why you even care about this old car at all. It's not really your style."

She looked pretty offended. Her car may not have been the nicest vehicle, a red Volkswagen Jetta, but she had saved every dollar she earned for years to buy it. It was her baby. "Well, at least I have a car. Without it how can we get anywhere?"

"I could steal one."

Katie shook her head in exasperation. "Yeah, I'm sure doing something illegal would be a great idea."

Travis was about to retort when Nico cut in again. "Let's just go!"

About an hour later Travis was enjoying his victory. The road was pretty deserted now and the sun had just set, leaving the sky pink and colorful. Katie had passed out almost instantly when she got in the car and was still fast asleep now.

Nico had taken to looking out the window. They were in some forest and there were no cars passing… at all, which was definitely not normal. The son of Hades straightened up and watched the scenery pass by. He waited for a few more minutes but still no cars came. Something was up. He noticed an abnormally large amount of flowers.

"Hey, Nico, look at all the flowers. I bet Katie would like this if she weren't passed out," Travis observed. Nico hardly heard him. The wheels in his brain were turning and he was putting two and two together. Then it hit him.

"Travis, pull over to the shoulder," he commanded, abruptly.

"What? Nico, is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure. It just seems like… Holy Hades, look out!" A random tree had sprouted right out of the middle of the road and they had no chance of avoiding it. The car crashed head on into the tree with a loud, terrifying crunch. Luckily, Travis had managed to slam on the brakes and they were all wearing their seat belts but the car was totaled.

They sat in momentarily silence. Nico was looking around for whatever threat was there. Trees don't just pop out of roads for no reason. He drew he sword and threw his door open (causing it to nearly fall of its hinges.)

Meanwhile, in the car, Katie moaned. Travis cringed. Her eyes opened and she blinked twice, as if expecting the image to disappear.

"Katie?"

"Travis Stoll, What have you DONE?" she shrieked. Travis recoiled.

"I am such an idiot. Letting you drive _my _car. What the Hades was I thinking?" she moaned.

"Look, Katie, I swear it wasn't my fault."

"Of course it wasn't. I trusted you, Travis, and you let me down. How are we supposed to save your brother now?"

"Seriously, a random tree just popped out of nowhere."

"What?" Katie looked out window to see, sure enough, that a sturdy maple was right in the middle of the road. She cursed in Greek. "I wonder who's playing with us."

"Who knows, but we're going to have to find out."

Katie's nostrils flared. "You're still not off the hook."

Travis smirked. "But you're not going to kill me." She rolled her eyes.

They both emerged from the car and drew their weapons. Katie flicked her gardening spade and it enlarged into a light, sturdy sword. Travis held a curved dagger in one hand and a rifle in the other. They went to join Nico..

"So, who wants to kill us?" Travis asked.

Nico shrugged. "Plenty of people, but I don't think whoever crashed the car had our death in mind."

"What do you mean?" Katie asked.

Nico sighed. "I'm pretty sure I know who's here… but I hope I'm wrong."

"That bad?" Travis asked.

Nico shrugged. "Some might say."

"I hope you're not referring to me," a voice said. Nico groaned. Standing before them was a beautiful young woman. She had long black hair and multicolored eyes that somehow resembled spring flowers. Her long gown depicted awe-inspiring scenes of springtime. She smelled of the first rain of the year and little birds were flying around her head.

Travis gaped at her. Katie was wide eyed. "Lady Persephone?" she whispered. The goddess of springtime flashed a smile.

"Hello, little sister, I hope you're well," she greeted.

Katie blinked at the goddess. It wasn't like this was the first time she'd ever met an immortal. But even when you were used to it meeting a god or goddess was shocking. "Um… well… I've been better." She answered, glancing at her car.

"I suppose you have, what with the world ending again, and that Stoll boy in danger, and," she glanced at Katie's car, as if noticing it for the first time. "I suppose I just damaged your car." Damaged was a bit of an understatement. More like totaled nearly beyond repair. The car would definitely cost a couple thousand dollars to fix. And she did not have a couple thousand dollars lying around.

"So you're not blaming me anymore, Katie?" Travis asked. She wisely ignored him.

"Well, there's nothing we can do now."

"I'm sorry to make you bitter, but it was the only way to draw your attention," The goddess explained.

Nico snorted and grumbled something inaudible to himself. Persephone pretended not to notice.

Katie looked up hopefully at her half-sister. "You can fix it, right?"

She frowned. "Well, machines really aren't my forte, that's more of Hephaestus."

"But you can fix it?" Katie asked.

Persephone shrugged. "I can try." She flicked her finger and the totaled car turned into a daisy. "Woops," the goddess mumbled.

"Holy crap, it's a flower!" Travis exclaimed. He seemed very excited.

Katie cringed, she would have burst into tears had it not been for the fact that she was afraid to offend the goddess. She couldn't completely hold it in though and she let out a little yelp.

Nico rolled his eyes. "You shouldn't have trusted her. Your car isn't the first thing she's turned into a flower."

The goddess shot Nico a warning look out of the corner of her eye. "I can fix it," she insisted. She flicked her finger and the flower burst into flames and then shriveled up into a pile of ashes. "Shoot," she muttered. For a few moments the flower switched back and forth between a daisy and a pile of dirt before she shrugged. "It wasn't a very nice car, anyway."

Katie looked at the daisy that had once been her beautiful car and groaned. Luckily, they had grabbed their packs because it looked like her car and everything in it was gone for good.

Nico looked up disapprovingly at his step-mom. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Persephone huffed. "You do realize that if I weren't so patient with you, you could end up like that car over there."

Nico merely rolled his eyes. "Been there, done that," he muttered.

Persephone's eyes flared but she chose to ignore his last comment. "I'm here to _help_ you. Yet, I don't know if I should considering how rude you've been."

"You've been quite a help so far, smashing our ride and all," Nico said, sarcastically. He had nearly gone too far. Persephone's eyes were glowing and it was clear it was taking all her energy not to just disintegrate them, then and there.

Katie stepped in front of the glowering Nico. Even Travis had enough common sense to casually block the angry teen from view. "Excuse him, Lady Persephone; he is under a lot of pressure." Katie said, attempting to make an excuse.

Persephone raised an eyebrow. "You don't say."

"Well, yeah, we all kind of are. And you know, my brother's going to be killed by monsters so any help you could offer us would be greatly appreciated," Travis said. "And if you really can't help us, then we better be on our way because we have a lot of walking to do since, you know, you wrecked Katie's car." Persephone glared at Travis. Katie shot him a look.

She attempted to smile at the goddess kindly, though it may have come out more like a grimace. "What our idiotic companion means to say is that we have very limited time and we don't know what we're supposed to be doing or where we're supposed to be going."

Persephone nodded. "Wait, um, Lady Persephone," Travis began. "How come you're here? Didn't Zeus, put like, everyone from Olympus on lockdown?"

She smirked. "My father has no power to keep me locked up in Olympus for who knows how long. It's spring now. Spring is my season and the earth needs me." An ominous lightning bolt appeared far above them. Persephone glanced at it, looking slightly peeved. She turned to the boys. "You two stand guard," she instructed.

"Stand guard from what?" Travis asked. Persephone glanced in two directions but didn't answer. Instead, she grabbed Katie's arm and pulled her away.

"It may be good for me to get out of the open," she explained. Katie nodded. Persephone led her to a small but cozy cave that smelled of Lavender. The room was virtually empty besides a table with four chairs surrounding it. The goddess of springtime sat in one and gestured for Katie to sit beside her. She flicked her hand and a china teapot appeared. "Tea?" she asked. Katie nodded. Persephone poured both Katie and herself a cup then sipped it quietly. "Do you like it? It's my special lilac blend," she explained.

"Yes, it's delicious but, Lady Persephone, why have you come here?"

"Well, I've already explained, to help you."

"Lord Hermes sent you."

Persephone shrugged, neither confirming nor denying the statement. "He may have pushed me, but I was not forced into this."

Katie frowned, confused. "Then… why?" she asked.

Persephone rolled her eyes. "I swear, demigods these days show little respect," she grumbled. Katie hastily mumbled an apology. "But that's beside the point," the goddess continued. "By embarking on this journey you are all putting yourself in extreme danger. There is a very large chance that any of you could die. Now, I can't say I care too much for either Stoll boy, but if either you or the di Angelo kid doesn't make it back I will be in trouble. If you die my mother will be crabby and probably even angrier at my husband. If di Angelo dies Hades will go back into another fifty to a hundred years of nothing but sulking. And if both of you get yourselves killed then I won't ever get a break."

"So you're doing this for your own good?" Katie asked before she could stop herself.

Persephone looked momentarily offended but regained her composure. "That, and the fact that I care. I don't want you all to die. I've always liked you, Katherine Gardner, you have real talent."

Katie blushed furiously at the comment. "Thanks," she mumbled.

"Our time is limited so I suppose I should cut to the chase. You have to go to Minnesota, that's where the Stoll boy is being kept."

"Minnesota? But that's not really north of here, more west."

"It is the most northern state," Persephone countered.

"Where in Minnesota?"

"You'll have to find out for yourself, I've already said more than I should have."

Katie sighed. It wasn't much help but at least it was a lead.

"I'm afraid I cannot be of more help now. I can, however, find you a place to stay and give you more provisions. Remember, Katie Gardner, Minnesota. You will have success if you can learn to believe in your friends and work together. I wish you luck; you'll need it. I hope the fates are on your side."

The world was fading. "Good bye, young hero," the goddess whispered. Then everything was gone.

**So, what do you think? Reviews would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to everyone that did review. Minnesota is my favorite state and I'm always hoping that some book characters that I like will go there. But they rarely do, so I'm pretending that they get to. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Jed the Trucker

Katie woke up in the softest, most comfortable bed in which she had ever slept. She yawned and stretched before realizing something. She had no memory of how she had gotten there and had no idea where Travis and Nico were. She sat up quickly and looked around the room. It seemed to be a spring themed hotel suite that smelled of flowers. Her pack was against the wall and when she went to examine it she found it was now stashed with several more changes of clothes, two more packs of ambrosia, and ten drachmas.

She swept it up in a single fluent motion and was going to go find her friends. It wasn't that hard to do. She threw the door open and was greeted by a loud "Ouch!" Lying on the floor right outside her door was Travis Stool. Nico was passed out on the couch of the room and both their packs were in the corner.

"What are you doing lying on the floor right outside my room?" she snapped.

"Well, I was sleeping."

"Why were you sleeping there?"

"I have no idea, the last thing I remember Nico and I were…" Suddenly Travis stopped talking and his eyes went all googly. "Woah, Katie," he muttered.

"What the Hades? Travis, what are you staring at?" she looked down to see she was wearing nothing but a very short and revealing lacy nightgown. "What the…?" Nico, who had apparently been woken up by Travis and Katie's argument, coughed awkwardly.

Without another word Katie raced back into her room and slammed the door. She changed quickly and came out with a defiant expression on her face. "No one will speak of that," she commanded, glaring at Travis. He nodded quietly, wide eyed.

"Okay then, are you both ready to go?" Katie began.

"Erm… well," Travis muttered. Katie finally paid attention to what they were wearing and realized that both boys were outfitted in Pokémon pajamas made for little kids. She sniffled and tried to hide her laugh. "Shut up, Katie, you weren't any better." She glared at him and both the boys quickly went to change clothes.

Twenty minutes later the trio was sitting in a small diner that was in the lobby of the hotel they woke up in. Katie told them all about her conversation with Persephone. "So, basically we have to find a way to get to Minnesota."

They sat in momentary silence until Travis slammed his coffee down on the table and jumped into the air. His companions merely stared at him warily.

"Err… Travis, what are you doing."

"Katie, I just had an epitome."

"Don't you mean an epiphany?"

"Whatever!"

"What are you thinking?"

"Nico, can't you, like, shadow travel?" The son of Hades nodded wordlessly, not taking his eyes off his breakfast.

"Then bam, transport us to Minnesota right now. We can have this quest done before noon."

"I can't."

"Sweet!" Travis shouted, jumping up. Then his face fell, "Wait, why?"

"Well, I could if you two would like to spend the next three weeks in a creepy alternate universe."

Travis scrunched his brow together. "What are you talking about?"

Nico sighed. "Look, I've sort of gotten the hang of shadow traveling when it's only myself. But bringing two people would be super difficult. We could get stuck in limbo forever." Katie cringed. Travis scowled.

"Oh, come on Nico, you have an awesome super power. Let's just take the chance."

Nico glared at him. "Even if, by some miracle, we managed to make it to Minnesota I'd still pass out for about a week and might die."

Travis shrugged. "Travis!" Katie reprimanded.

"Could you two really get by without me?" Nico asked, with an eyebrow raised.

They both looked offended. "Hey! Of course we could," Travis shot back. Nico looked like he was going to laugh. "Well, I guess it would be a little bit harder…"

"I don't even want to think about that," Katie muttered. "We are definitely not shadow traveling because I don't think I could survive alone with you, Stoll."

"Hey, I have feelings!" Travis shouted.

"No offense," she added.

"And yet, somehow, I'm still offended."

Katie ignored him. "If we can't shadow travel how are we going to get to Minnesota?"

"I could steal a car," Travis suggested.

"No way, I don't want to get arrested," Katie shot back.

"We won't get arrested. I'm a child of Hermes! Come on, you don't give me enough credit." Katie glared at him. "Look, Nico is the leader of this quest. Let's ask him!" Both Katie and Travis turned to Nico who didn't seem happy with having to make the decision.

"I don't think we should steal a car," he finally said. "Katie may be right. It would be better to remain on the 'down low' than to become wanted criminals." Katie smirked triumphantly at Travis.

"But I'm a freakin' son of the god of thieves. We won't get caught. I'm a trained professional," he argued.

Nico shook his head nonchalantly as he took another bite of cereal.

"Fine!" Travis exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "How do you propose we get all the way to Minnesota?"

"If you want, I could give you a ride," a rough, deep voice suggested. They all glanced up from their little table to see an extremely buff man who seemed to be in his mid-forties. He wore a t-shirt and a ripped jean jacket over it that had a Jolly Rodger on the back. He was at least a foot taller than even Travis and was overall a pretty intimidating guy.

"Sweet, thanks!" Travis answered excitedly. Katie and Nico looked at the son of Hermes as if he was insane. The man gave a toothy grin and revealed a shining gold tooth.

Katie gave a nervous giggle. "Umm… could you excuse us for a sec?" she asked the man. Then, without waiting for an answer, she grabbed Travis by the collar of his shirt and dragged him into the nearest hallway. Nico reluctantly followed them.

"What the Hades are you thinking, Travis?" Katie asked, exasperated.

"Well, I was thinking that that guy was offering us a free ride west," Travis answered with a shrug.

"Travis, that guy looks like a thug," Katie answered.

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover."

"We have no idea who or what he is," Nico stated. "But… he is offering us a free ride."

"Yeah, my point exactly!" Travis agreed.

"You've got to be kidding me, both of you," Katie reasoned. "He could be an ex-criminal or- even worse, a monster. How would you like it if we are driving down the highway and he transforms into a hydra? Plus, even if he is just a mortal, normal people don't offer a group of teenagers a ride half way across the country. You have to admit this is sketchy."

Nico sighed. "I know… but what other choice do we have?"

"I could steal a car!" Travis offered. They both shot him a look. "Look, guys, if you don't want to jack a car we should accept this golden opportunity. I bet Persephone sent it. Plus, even if he does try to pull something we aren't trained demigods for nothing. We could take that dude."

Katie sighed. "This is a really, really bad idea that will inevitably get us killed," she mumbled.

"But you don't have a better one," Travis finished, triumphant.

"I guess we might as well just go back and talk to him," Nico reasoned, knowing full well that they were making a mistake. Travis grinned and practically ran back inside the diner.

"Err, sir," Katie began. The man looked up at her and smiled, with his crooked teeth. It gave her Goosebumps. "You said you could give us a ride to Minnesota?"

"That I did, little lady. The name's Jed. I'm drive trucks and my latest shipment is off in Chicago. I could take you that far. I don't normally offer people rides but you three sounded pretty desperate."

"Man, thanks, Jed," Travis said, looking pleased. Katie exchanged a nervous glance with Nico who merely shrugged.

After they finished breakfast the teens followed Jed out to his huge truck. "Here's my ol' pride n' joy." He told them with a grin. It was a normal truck that you would see driving down the highway with a huge cargo box behind it. Katie swore she heard a loud crash from inside it and took an unsure step backward.

"This isn't a good idea," she whispered to Nico. He grimaced and gestured to Travis who was excitedly listening to Jed tell him all about how the truck worked.

"He's gonna get us killed," Katie hissed.

"When did you figure that out?"

Jed opened the door to the front of the truck and the four of them squeezed in. The front was just one bench and it was a tight squeeze, especially considering that Jed wasn't exactly skinny. Katie clutched her pack to her chest as they drove away and went through her escape plan in her head. If this trucker dude tried to pull anything she'd throw the door open and barrel roll onto the highway. Some kid from the Ares cabin had taught her how to escape from a moving car awhile ago so at least she had a small chance of survival.

They drove off onto the highway and Katie noted they were going west, which was good. Nico kept placing his hand on his pack where he kept his sword. She could tell he was uncomfortable too. Travis seemed to be completely at ease though. He was having a pleasant conversation with Jed about how he always wanted to drive trucks when he was little. Katie noted that he had a mischievous glint in his eyes which probably meant that Travis had already stolen anything the poor man had that was of any value. Great.

About an hour into the drive Katie was finally starting to calm down a little. Jed had turned the radio to some country music station that played songs she actually liked. Travis was jamming out, even though he always said he hated country. Nico had his head in his hands and she could have sworn she heard him mumbling curse words but other than that all was well. Jed was quietly humming along to the music. She thought they might have actually caught a break. Then Jed dropped the bomb.

"So, what are a bunch of demigods like you doing traveling halfway across the country?"

**And the chapter is over. Here I introduce one of the few OC's, Jed the trucker. We'll learn more about my friend Jed in the next chapter. He makes me crack up. And no, Travis does not like him because he's all buff and intimidating. Travis likes him because he is easy to manipulate and steal from, a son of Hermes' best friend. This story is definitely not on hiatus. It's just on, may update next week , may update six months from now. So, sorry. Please review if you can spare a second. I love to hear what people think.**


	6. Friend or Enemy

**Hey! I'm back. And I only made you wait for a month. Hey-it could be worse. Now that school and final exams are over this story should, hopefully, probably will be updated more frequently. Thanks for reading. Enjoy. Also, I'm changing the rating to T because the content of this may be a bit explicit. Nothing too bad or graphic, I promise, but I'm kind of paranoid.**

Katie blinked at Jed, shocked. Travis stopped singing mid lyric and choked on his chewing gum. Even Nico looked up, though he looked more irritated than surprised. For a few seconds the three demigods just stared at Jed, waiting him to grow another head or something. Surprisingly, nothing happened.

Jed chuckled. "You three look like you've seen a ghost. Come on, it was just a question."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Katie stuttered weakly. It was very unconvincing though and she shot Travis a look which said something like this- _You got us into this mess. Now get us out! _Or at least that's how Travis perceived it. Katie may have added more colorful language.

Then, to Katie's irritation, Travis started laughing. Katie leaned down and spoke quietly to Nico. "I think he's finally lost it. Will you just throw him onto the highway?" Nico grinned while the deranged son of Hermes continued laughing.

"Jed, Jed, I underestimated you," Travis said in a smooth voice after he'd finally calmed himself. "What gave it away?"

"Probably when you shouted that you were a son of Hermes," Jed admitted, grinning.

Travis's mouth formed into a little 'O'. Katie shook her head in dismay and Nico just sighed.

"You may wanna be a little more careful bout' what you say in public. Anyone could be listenin'," Jed warned.

"Travis, you're an idiot," Katie hissed.

"Hey!" he cried back at her.

"It's true," Nico agreed. He was smirking.

"Thanks, guys," Travis mumbled bitterly.

Jed chuckled. "You kids don't have to worry. I ain't gonna hurt you. It was probably a good thing you shouted that out loud, Travis. I wouldn't a' taken pity on a couple a' mortals."

Katie eyed him. "What are you?" She asked.

He grinned. "Well, I'm one of you. I know what it's like. Us demigods gotta stick together, which is why I asked that question. It's a mighty dangerous time for you young folk to be venturing outside of Camp Halfblood unprotected. Dark times."

"You're a demigod?" Katie asked.

"Cool!" Travis cried. "You went to Camp Halfblood?"

Jed nodded, still smiling. "Course I went there. It's the only place for us to go. But that was a long, long time ago. Even met my ol' pops, the war god, once. He hated it when I called him pops."

"You're a child of Ares." Katie said. When she said it aloud she wondered why she hadn't seen it sooner. She'd seen the war god in person once and there was definitely some family resemblance. Jed was just as huge, strong, and scary looking as Ares and the rest of his children.

Jed nodded. "And you're Hermes' kid," Jed said, addressing Travis. "And you," he said, pointing at Katie, "Are a Demeter spawn."

"How did you know that?" Katie asked. Unlike Travis, she hadn't screamed her godly parent's identity aloud.

Jed smirked. "You smell like one." Travis chuckled and Katie rolled her eyes.

Then Jed turned to Nico. "But you, you've been quiet. I ain't sure what cabin you're in." Jed seemed to be waiting for an answer.

"Hermes," Nico answered coolly. He, unlike Katie Gardner, was decent at lying.

Katie flicked Travis hard in the arm before he could say anything different. He turned his head towards her in irritation and Katie quickly flashed him a gaze that told him to keep his mouth shut. Telling Jed Nico's real identity would require too much explaining.

"Hmm… I see," Jed muttered. "You and Travis, here, seem nothing alike," he commented.

Travis nonchalantly strung his arm around Nico's shoulders and ignored the son of Hades' death glare. "Yeah, he's sorta the odd one out at our cabin but he's still a great kid. Had a hard childhood," Travis explained, which was technically half true.

"Ah, well, don't we all," Jed answered.

"Touché," Nico muttered.

Jed chuckled. "Ya kids ain't bad. So, really, why are you goin' so far from Camp in dark times like these?"

"We have to rescue a captured demigod," Katie replied.

Jed chuckled. "Yeah, you young folk always are heroic. Gets you killed though. Your chances aren't too great. Take it from someone who knows from experience, it's not worth it. More people will die." Travis tensed up and for a second Katie swore she saw concern in his eyes. Travis and Connor did everything together and she had nearly forgotten that Travis, despite his cockiness, was very worried about his little brother.

"You underestimate us," Nico replied. "Sure, Travis is an idiot and Katie bosses us around but they're both determined. I'd say we have a chance."

"I don't boss you around!" Travis and Nico shot a look at her and she scowled.

"You're just a kid. Who am I to burst your bubble? I'll take you as far as I can but it's foolish, what your doin'. Whatever you're up against is probably worse than anything you've trained for," Jed answered.

"We helped win the Titan war just last summer. I say we have a fair chance. Besides, we're not children of Athena; we don't pretend to be smart," Nico said, his voice still cool.

Jed tensed and frowned. He seemed to clench the steering wheel a bit tighter. However, his response was calm. "Well, if you insist. But don't say I didn't warn you."

After their conversation Jed was quiet. He kept his gaze focused on the road and turned the music up. Travis, too, was quieter and, besides complaining that he had to pee every few minutes, didn't really say much. Despite Travis' complaints they didn't stop for seven hours. Finally, near Toledo, Ohio, Jed pulled off the highway. He drove into truck stop that had a small convenient store where they could finally use the restroom. A few other men where outside getting gas but the truck stop was mostly deserted.

"Okay, kids, we'll take a five minute break. Hurry back, I have to be at Chicago before tomorrow morning."

Travis, Katie, and Nico all raced inside to use the restrooms. Once they were done Nico went back to the car. Travis seemed ready to raid the shop but Katie pulled him aside. "Travis, I really don't like this," she explained.

Travis rolled his eyes. "Katie, don't be so cautious, nothing bad has happened yet. Jed is a friend."

Katie sighed. "Travis, don't be so dense! Did you see how he tensed he got up when we mentioned the war? What if he was on Kronos' side?"

Travis shrugged. "You're being paranoid, Kates." Katie scowled at the new nickname. "Even if he was on the Titan side tons of demigods have come to camp after the war from Kronos' army and they are all nice. Maybe he just regrets it."

Katie bit her lip. Travis had a point but she had a bad feeling in her gut. "Please, I really don't," she began but Travis cut her off.

"Now, now, Katie, you're probably just hungry. I'll get you and Nico something to eat and meet you outside in five, kay?"

Katie frowned. "But…" However, Travis cut her off again by touching her face with his fingertips and tilting her chin up to meet his eyes.

"Look, Katie, its okay if you're scared. We'll all be fine," he said, his eyes glowing.

For a moment, Katie couldn't help herself from getting lost in his gleaming blue eyes but she quickly caught herself and averted her gaze, ignoring her cherry red cheeks. "I'm not scared," she insisted. Then she looked back up at Travis. "And don't touch me!" With that she smacked his hand away and turned away from him.

Travis smirked. "Oh, and Travis," Katie called over her shoulder as she was exiting the gas station.

"What?"

"Please pay for the food."

"Aww… come, on." Katie rolled her eyes and smiled despite herself. She let the door close behind her and quietly walked back towards Jed's truck. She climbed into the seat to find no one there.

"Nico?" she said quietly, as if she was expecting him to be hiding under a cushion. "Nico!" There was no response. She jumped out of the truck and pulled the gardening spade out of her pocket, allowing it to become a sword. "Nico! Nico! Nico!" she called, slightly panicked. There was still no response. One of the men getting gas looked at her like she was crazy. Katie took a shaky breath. Suddenly two strong hands grabbed her from behind the truck with such force her sword was knocked out of her grasp and clattered away. One of the hands covered her mouth to muffle her scream. It was so big it even covered her eyes. She squirmed but it was useless.

After a few moments the hand removed itself from her face. Katie was going to call out but she was interrupted. "Stay quiet or the boy gets it." She turned her head to see her captor and sure enough it was their new friend, Jed. He was grinning like an idiot. About a dozen other men were standing there. Well, they couldn't really be considered men. They all had features that showed they weren't really human, like fur, a third eye, scales instead of skin, or claws instead of hands. One of these men was holding Nico back, covering his face with what appeared to be a bear paw. The other paw held a knife to the boy's neck. It occurred to Katie that these men must have been what she heard in the cargo area.

Katie didn't know what to do. She froze there. How would they get out of this? "Foolish kids you are." Jed commented. He sounded pleased with himself. "I thought it might be hard to catch one demigod but then three just come along and travel cross country with me. You really are idiots."

Katie squirmed in his grasp. "Let us go. You said it, demigods have to stick together. So let us go," she whispered angrily. She summoned some poison ivy to come and wrap itself around Jed's legs. He shook it away easily.

"Your little Demeter tricks won't help you against me." Katie knew he was right but continued to summon plants to tangle themselves around his body.

Jed shook and cussed. "Stop it!" He shouted. He slashed at Katie's arm with a knife and formed a nice cut along her arm. She gasped and the poison ivy died.

Jed merely laughed at her. "Sorry, little lady, I may have said that demigods stick together, but times have changed. Like I said, these are very dark times. I never lied to you. I'm a demigod. And I really do have a delivery in Chicago. But I forgot to mention that I was deliverin' you."

"Delivering us?" she asked weakly.

He chuckled. "Yeah, you coulda enjoyed a comfortable ride all the way there, not even knowing your fate. Too bad that boy figured it out. He's smarter than he looks. Can't take me on though." Nico thrashed violently and his captor clutched the knife closer to his neck. A thin line of blood became visible and Katie tore her eyes away.

"But why?" she asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking and ignore the pain in her arm.

"Why? Do you have any idea how much collectors are payin' demigods for. I'd say you and your friends will go for over ten thousand dollars."

"That's disgusting," Katie said. "You're one of us. You can't do this."

"I'm a kid of Ares. I don't need morals."

"So you're going to make us slaves?"

"Oh no, sweetheart, I never said they want ya alive. You'll make wonderful trophies for my private collectors." Katie's knees nearly buckled. She weighed her escape options but each one seemed worse than the last. She didn't know what to do. No one at the gas station seemed to realize anything was wrong and if they did they didn't care. Travis wouldn't really be able to help. She hoped if he saw this he would run for it. He didn't need to die too.

Jed was watching her, smirking. "Aww… look boys, the little beaut's terrified. Let's put her out of her misery first." Jed brought the knife he had slashed Katie's arm with to her neck. She was shaking violently.

"I don't think so!" Jed looked up in surprise. Nico had somehow managed to shake his captor's paw off his face for a moment. Suddenly, a half dozen undead soldiers rose out of the depths. Everyone was so surprised that Nico was able to shake himself free and knock the knife away. Katie too managed to free herself from Jed's grasp before he recovered and raced to grab her sword from the pavement. Nico pulled out his own sword, and in one fluent motion, sliced the monster that had held him captive into a pile of dust. The undead soldiers attacked violently. Jed's crew was in a panic. Half of them were destroyed within seconds.

"I thought you were a measly son of Hermes," Jed told Nico. He had regained himself and was going after the son of Hades with a knife. Nico's undead warriors seemed to have the rest of the monsters under control.

Nico slashed at Jed with his Stygian Iron sword and only narrowly missed. "You thought wrong," he answered, smirking. Then, Nico landed a clean hit right on near Jed's thigh. The son of Ares let out a cry of pain. Nico went in for the kill but Jed staggered back.

"Let's get outta here boys," he cried. Within a second the three remaining monsters that hadn't been slaughtered by Nico's soldiers had grabbed Jed and pulled him back to the truck. They drove away quickly and disappeared into the distance.

Nico and Katie stood there, panting and bleeding. Nico's knees buckled and Katie caught him with her good arm. "Don't worry," she whispered. "I'll get ambrosia." Then it hit her. "They have our packs." She cursed in Greek and helped Nico walk to a grassy area nearby so he could lie down. He was as pale as a sheet.

"It's okay, I just… need a nap… you, however, might need… that arm… looked at," he said quietly. Then he passed out. Travis chose this moment to finally reappear. He was carrying a huge stack of snacks that he could hardly see behind.

"Hey, guys, sorry it took so long but I got lots of food," he announced, looking out from behind the pile. Then, his face fell. "Wait, Katie, you're bleeding. Gods, that looks bad." He said, sounding concerned. "And what's up with Nico? And where's Jed?" His voice was rapidly speeding up.

Katie gave him a grave look. "Travis, they took our packs. He needs nectar, now. "Travis nodded and for once didn't say anything. He dropped all the food he just bought and dug through his pack before pulling out two ambrosia squares and a jug of nectar. He raced forward and handed the ambrosia to Katie. "I'm fine," she mumbled.

"You're bleeding like crazy," Travis pointed out. Katie sighed and carefully took a few bites of ambrosia. Her arm healed quickly and she watched as the bleeding cut transformed into a bright red scar. Travis shoveled Nectar into Nico's mouth so quickly that it dripped out the corners.

"Careful, you'll burn him up," Katie warned. Travis recapped the nectar because Nico had already developed a bad fever. The thirteen year old coughed twice and seemed to relax a little more but didn't regain consciousness.

"What happened?" Travis asked.

Katie sighed. "I'll explain later, Travis. People are looking at us funny." It was true. As people drove by they stared. Some people slowed down, as if considering offering assistance. "We need to get Nico to somewhere he can rest. Let's go to that motel across the street," she suggested, gesturing to the dinky little hotel nearby.

Travis shrugged. "Looks cheap," he commented. Katie wasn't amused. She looked really shaken. "Katie, are you okay?"

Katie nodded. "I'm fine. I'll explain soon but just help me carry Nico. And don't forget your pack."

Travis sighed and helped her lift the unconscious son of Hades. "Katie, whatever happened, it was my fault, wasn't it."

Katie didn't answer but Travis knew what that meant.

**So, ends chapter 6. So if you have a moment, I'd appreciate a review. I hope you enjoyed. Jed is mean.**

**In other news did anyone else read the Son of Neptune chapter one? Percy remembers Annabeth! *fangirl squeal***

**Also, I just read the Throne of Fire. It was so good! I fell in love with Walt and little Felix who likes to summon penguins. If you want to talk to me and go book crazy I could use a vent because my sister hated everything about Walt and won't listen. Thanks!**


	7. A Rooster and a Weird Dream

By eight o'clock that night all three demigods were already in bed. Driving cross country for seven hours straight took a lot out of you. Almost getting killed made you even more exhausted. Once Travis and Katie had managed to drag Nico all the way to the small and rather unsanitary motel they realized they no longer had much money since Katie's pack, where she had kept most of their money, had been stolen. They were pretty much broke so they purchased only one small room.

Once in their tiny motel room they finally managed to wake Nico up. The son of Hades immediately tried to attack Travis who had to lock himself in the bathroom. (No, they were not responsible for the dent on the bathroom door the size of Nico's fist.) Once Katie managed to calm Nico down they explained to Travis what had happened. Following this there was a long period of awkward silence before Katie force fed Nico more nectar and made him go to bed. She slept next to him and left Travis to sleep on the floor. Katie fell asleep the second her head hit the pillow despite all that was on her mind.

Katie was standing alone in a dark room. The only visible item there was a gold door. She opened it a little and peered through the crack. Travis Stoll was standing there wearing a suit and tie; grinning. He winked at her and music began to play. It was a familiar tune and Katie was rather fond of it. Then, to her surprise, Travis began singing.

_Highway run _

_Into the midnight sun_

_Wheels go round and round _

_You're on my mind_

What the heck was going on? Travis couldn't sing! She'd heard him sing at the campfire dozens of times and knew how off key and obnoxious he was. He suddenly had a voice akin to a child of Apollo's. She had a strange feeling she had seen this moment before somewhere. Without even realizing she was doing it she threw the door open and entered the room. Travis was staring at her in pure awe. As if she'd been doing it all her life, she opened her mouth to sing the next line.

_Restless hearts_

_Sleep alone tonight_

_Sending all my love along the wire_

Really? She was an even worse singer than Travis and suddenly she has the voice of some Broadway goddess. Travis was looking at her with a passionate expression that she didn't think could ever be on the face of mischievous Travis Stoll. They spun around and their arms brushed against each other's.

_They say that the road ain't no place to start a family_

_Right down the line that's been you and me_

_And loving a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be_

For some reason Katie was really enjoying herself. The music filled her with excitement and pure adrenaline. She was so close to Travis that she could feel his breath on her face.

_Oh boy you stand by me_

_I'm forever yours_

_Faithfully _

Their hands intertwined and they both leaned in. Katie shut her eyes but before their lips touched the music abruptly stopped.

"Katherine, you need to stop watching so much of that Glee show. It ruins your mind."

Katie opened her eyes and found that her new surroundings were much clearer than before. She was standing in a corn field and her mother, the goddess of agriculture, was looking at her appraisingly.

"M-mother?" she stuttered.

Demeter tisked disapprovingly. "I hope this isn't the way you greet every Olympian you meet. It will get you killed. You should eat more cereal."

"I'm sorry mother," Katie said quickly, trying to hide how flustered she was. Perhaps she had watched too much glee lately. "I guess I just had a very weird dream. I'm honored to see you." She gave a slight bow.

Demeter nodded slightly. "If you eat more cereal and watch less TV perhaps your dreams will consist of more important things, like corn," she answered, gesturing to the fields around her. "And you _should_ be honored to see me. You have no idea how much work it took to be able to talk to you. My bossy brother still insists on us not talking to our children." She rolled her eyes.

Katie tried to pretend she was happy to see her mother. In reality, she wasn't too pleased. Demeter would never win the number one mother award. She had a step-mother at home that she loved very much and she would have much rather seen her than the goddess of agriculture. "What brings you here?"

Demeter sighed. "I have no time for small talk, Katherine. I'm here to get you out of your foolish quest."

Katie frowned. " Why would you…?"

"Don't interrupt your mother! You almost got killed today! That Stoll boy and the son of my disgusting son-in-law are terrible company."

"Mother, if we don't save Conner nobody…"

"I told you not to interrupt me!" Demeter shouted. "I know that boy has been captured. I know about the terrible danger he is in. But, Katherine, demigods are going to die. In times like these it is inevitable. If you die trying to save him you will just waste your own life for nothing! And your chances are not great, not great at all."

Katie cringed. It was a great confidence boost when even your own mother didn't believe in you. Demeter's eyes were glowing furiously and although Katie was sure that her mother wouldn't hurt her it was still frightening. She almost wanted to heed her mother's request. However, she had to finish what she'd started, even if it led to her death. She'd promised to help save Conner and that's what she would do.

"Mother, I know the risks but I can't just leave my friends."

Demeter's eyes glowed brighter and Katie averted her own eyes, just in case. "You wouldn't be so stubborn if your father had just fed you more cereal," she mumbled. "Katherine, you must…" She cut off mid sentence and looked at the sky. "What the…?" The scene dissolved again.

Katie landed with a thud in a frighteningly familiar location. A few feet ahead lay the limp body of Connor Stoll. She just wanted to escape from this nightmare or do _something_ but just as before, she found she couldn't move. Connor looked worse than before. His skin was so pale that for a moment Katie thought he was dead.

One of the storm spirits came up behind him and looked down at the poor son of Hermes. "Can't we just kill him now, my lady? He won't last much longer like this and it would be such a waste if he died on his own."

Katie internally jumped when she realized Campe had been behind her the whole time. "You fool, I told you to be patient!" The storm spirit shrunk back. "Now be quiet, we have another guest." The storm spirit looked around hopefully and Campe focused her attention on the daughter of Demeter.

"Child, child, you have come far but you still have so far to go," she sneered. "You best hurry up. Five days left… that is if he even lasts that long." Campe's smile grew as all of the snakes around her hissed. She walked slowly towards Katie and the serpents snapped their jaws. When she was only inches away she stopped and looked down at the daughter of Demeter. "Best hurry, _little girl."_

Katie shot up from bed. She was coated in sweat.

"Glad to see you're up," Nico greeted. He was sitting at the end of the bed watching the blurry TV.

"Glad to see you're okay," Katie answered casually.

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Are you?"

Katie half smiled. "Well, I probably wouldn't be if you hadn't been there yesterday."

Nico shrugged. "That guy bit off more than he could chew. I saw that coming but I just tried to convince myself that Travis could be right… for once."

Katie snickered. "Like that will ever happen."

"Maybe I should apologize for attempting to punch him yesterday. It wasn't really his fault we almost got killed by a psychotic trucker."

"But it _was_ partially his fault."

Nico smirked. "Yeah, partially." They both shared a knowing smile.

"So, where is that Son of Hermes anyway?" Katie asked.

"He went out twenty minutes ago to find food. Hopefully this ends better than last time." Katie glanced at the small clock on the nightstand. It read 9 am.

"How long have you guys been up?" she asked Nico.

"I've been up for a while. You've been moaning and crying for the past four hours or so," the son of Hades replied. His tone was conversational.

Katie blushed. "Yeah, it wasn't too good of a night."

"Any good news?" Nico asked dryly.

Katie shook her head. "None at all."

"Anything that could possibly help us?"

Katie frowned. "I don't think so."

"Then I don't want to know." Katie laughed at Nico's blunt expression.

"I don't blame you. Why doesn't Travis just eat what he bought last night?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "I think he feels guilty for what happened and is trying to make it up to us by getting us a nice breakfast."

"I hope he doesn't waste the few remaining dollars we have…" Katie mumbled.

"Don't worry, there's nothing out here besides a Burger King and an old bar," Nico told her matter-of-factly.

Katie rolled her eyes. They both heard a loud thud and turned toward the door. Travis ran inside. In one hand he had a Burger King bag and in the other he held a chicken.

"Hey guys," Travis greeted. "I bought breakfast." He excitedly opened the Burger King bag and handed them each some French toast sticks and an egg sandwich that probably had like a thousand calories.

"Travis, why do you have a chicken?" Nico asked.

"I was hoping you wouldn't ask," Travis muttered.

Katie snickered. "Most people don't just bring back chickens with breakfast, Travis. Unless, you wanted to make eggs or something."

Travis rolled his eyes. "Look, first of all, it's a rooster not a chicken. They're a sacred animal of my dad. This one was following me around and wouldn't leave so I picked it up and brought it along."

"Makes perfect sense," Katie answered sarcastically.

"What if it was sent by my father to help us?" Travis asked. "We do need a ride… again."

"This time, Nico's in charge of finding it," Katie told him.

"Hey! My rooster might have one."

"Let's just eat breakfast!" Nico interrupted as he bit into his sandwich. Travis's rooster let out a loud 'cock-a-doodle-doo' in agreement.

"That will wake up the whole hotel," Katie muttered between bites.

"So… Katie, you okay, you were, like, freaking out in your sleep," Travis asked after a while. He said it in a mocking voice but she sensed a bit of concern.

"Yeah, it was just… a dream," she answered and looked the other way to avoid his gaze. He didn't question her further.

They were just about finished with their breakfast when Travis's rooster flew into the air and start rapidly pecking at the door.

"What's wrong, Sully?" Travis asked the chicken, as if it could respond.

"Sully?" Nico asked, incredulous.

Travis nodded. "Yeah, he needed a name. "

"But Sully? Really, Travis, you could name him something that actually gives him some dignity," Katie replied.

"Like, what?"

"Guys, we have to go right now," Nico's urgent words interrupted Katie and Travis's impending argument. The son of Hades had just opened the window and standing outside mere feet away stood three huge Laestrygonian Giants.

"Yeah, I think Nico and the chicken are right, let's get out of here," Katie agreed. The three kids and one rooster raced out of the hotel as quickly as they could. They ran along the road, attempting to escape from the monsters but they had no such luck. One of the Laestygonians noticed and seemed to point it out to his buddies because soon they were all chasing after the three demigods.

"Well, I guess we'll have to fight," Travis shouted. They all turned around and took fighting stances. Nico drew his Stygian Iron sword, Katie's gardening spade transformed into her blade, and Travis pulled out his rifle that was loaded with Celestial Bronze bullets.

The three giants attacked head on. Travis managed to shoot one right in the forehead and it dissolved quickly into dust. However, he was so proud of his lucky shot that he didn't react fast enough when the second giant tackled him to the ground. Katie grunted and chopped off the giant's head with her own sword. It dissolved too.

"Thanks for that," Travis mumbled.

"Don't mention it," Katie replied.

Nico was locked in combat with the third giant. He would never admit it but he was still drained from his escapade the day before and his moves were sluggish. He couldn't summon any warriors because he would surely pass out again.

Katie and Travis ran to join to help but Nico, even when he was tired, was still a very skilled fighter and managed to slice the final enemy in half.

"Great job, guys, that was awesome!" Travis announced, pumping his fist.

"Umm… Travis, we have a problem," Katie said and pointed to where a pile of dust had once been. The dust was quickly reforming into the giant, which didn't seem too pleased about being killed.

"Crap," Nico muttered.

"Well, this sucks," Travis announced. "Hey, where's Sully?"

Sully the chicken was squawking and clucking like mad.

"What is it, boy?" Travis asked.

"I think it wants us to follow it," Nico answered. He looked almost amused.

"Are you mad? It's a chicken!" Katie screeched. Then she glanced at the already half-formed giant. "Sully, lead the way."

Sully the rooster seemed to understand what Katie was saying or at least she had gone insane enough to believe so. He dashed off in one direction at a speed so fast that the trio found it difficult to keep up. It was probably a weird sight; three teenagers running down a highway, chasing a rooster.

"Our packs!" Katie exclaimed. They rooster had finally stopped behind a secluded tree near the road. Sitting in the tree's early morning shade was both her and Nico's packs and a Harley motorcycle.

Nico grinned. "Thanks, chicken." Sully clucked, looking pleased.

"And look, we even have a ride," Travis exclaimed, referring to the huge motorcycle.

"What? We're not stealing that, Travis," Katie reprimanded.

"Isn't it obvious? My dad sent it! And he sent a rooster to lead us here!" Katie looked unconvinced. "How else would our packs be here?"

Katie bit her lip. "Even so, these things are death traps. We don't even have helmets."

"I hate to break it to you, Katie, but right now our options are either ride on a motorcycle and possibly die or get eaten by a Laestrygonian Giant," Nico offered. He had already pulled his pack on and was mounting the motorcycle.

Katie sighed. "Why couldn't they have just given a car?" She mumbled. However, she reluctantly grabbed her pack and hopped on in front of Nico.

"I call driving!" Travis shouted as he jumped onto the front. He turned the key that was conveniently already in the ignition and pushed down the gas. He proceeded to turn them towards the road but hit a root and they all crashed to the ground. "Hmm… Maybe I should get to the road first," he said, thoughtfully.

"Yeah," Katie agreed sarcastically. She got up and dusted herself off. "Have you ever driven one of these before?"

"No, but how hard could it be?"

"Oh gods," Katie mumbled, shaking her head. "Maybe we should just stay for the giants."

"Take your pick," Nico said, pointing towards the Laestrygonians that were heading straight for them. They all looked pretty angry.

Travis quickly grabbed the motorcycle and pulled it out to the street. The three demigods all jumped on. Travis was about to speed off when he noticed poor Sully the rooster who was right in the monster's path. The bird was clucking furiously but completely helpless.

"We can't just leave Sully," he whined. "He helped us."

"Fine, Travis! Grab the chicken! Just hurry!" Katie yelped, slightly hysterical.

Travis nodded and quickly drove the motorcycle back to the side of the road, scooped up his new pet rooster, and pushed down the gas full throttle.

Katie screamed as they took off and Sully gave a 'cock-a-doodle-do' of approval. The three demigods and their new pet rooster flew down the highway, leaving the three giants in their dust.

**Chapter seven is finally complete! Seriously, it took a while. I love Sully! And Nico too! Plus, I really like glee, so I couldn't resist. Yes, Katie's dream was a remake of the scene in the season 1 finale but I wanted Katie to have a real dream and I wanted it to feature Travis and I love that song and I love Finn/Rachel so I couldn't resist. Hopefully, you enjoyed this. Thanks to my reviewers. If you have time, send another. Thanks!**


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